In our modern world, hate is more visible than ever. I firmly believe there is nothing new under the sun, so hate has always been present and prevalent, but we get it thrown in our faces with today’s technology. More than ever, we need to remind ourselves that love is built into our nature. It requires exercise and intentional practice for love to become our present and prevalent action and reaction as we walk through this life.

From a biblical perspective, there are three concentric circles of love that we need to exercise daily. You do not have to be a believer to agree that the Bible contains much wisdom, so no matter your background or belief system, I encourage you to hang with me through this short series on LOVE.

The inner-most circle is focused on our love for God. This is the bullseye, so to speak, of our three concentric circles. Our love for God is the basis upon which we can expand out to the other circles. The importance of this topic is found in the fact that the Bible repeats this instruction, and I hold that when God repeats Himself, it is a good idea for us to listen!

Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. – Deuteronomy 6:5

Jesus said to him, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the first and great commandment.” – Matthew 22:37-38

Heart, soul, strength, and mind. These represent every aspect of our being; that is, emotion, spirit, body, and intellect. Devote all of these to loving God first and always. Your physical, intellectual, emotional, and spiritual health will be vastly improved as a result.

If you have questions about what this looks like in daily living, please comment or send me a direct message.